Will you travel? [Mod Note in Post #1 - Travel Discussion Only! Megathread]

oldtimeyfella

acequion wrote: »

And let's not get started on the crowd who have to go to concerts and weddings and festivals to feel alive. And imagine the crowd who have to have parties for birthdays and anniversaries and all that madness! And the crowd that go off to matches, roaring and balling like psychos. Jaysus they're unreal altogether :eek: And what about those lunatics who have to go off and get married themselves and even have babies ffs! And then they go putting it all on facebook :eek::eek:

Definitely life is way better in my cave, just existing until the day I pop my clogs. Something very wrong with these nutters who say they must "live."

Birthday parties are for children.



You are just as married in a registry office with a handful of close family and friends as you are with the 100s of people, waste of money, show-off, princess party wedding.


Paying money to watch other grown adults chase a ball around a field is certainly something that happens.


Have kids or whatever but at least make sure you can afford them so you won't end up working into you 60s whilst some people have enough money to check out by 50 and actually live life because they didn't worry about trying to impress other fools by spending money.

johnire

A question folks........
if as so many people say here that travel doesn’t contribute to the spread of Covid then why are governments either restricting travel from certain countries or insist on a negative Covid test from people entering their country?
If travel is so safe then why these measures?
Answers please-I’m intrigued.

johnire

You’ll have a fantastic time in Norway but I’m sure you know this already that it really is incredibly expensive- I mean mega expensive.

TomSweeney wrote: »

I am keeping a close eye on the situation in Norway, they are pretty strict (can't blame them, they've done a lot better than ****show Sweden)

I was booked to go to Tromso last summer, sadly I think summer 2021 won't be possible either, the good news is we have an extra year to save for a great trip there in 2022 .. might even throw in a trip to Svalbard too

acequion

johnire wrote: »

A question folks........
if as so many people say here that travel doesn’t contribute to the spread of Covid then why are governments either restricting travel from certain countries or insist on a negative Covid test from people entering their country?
If travel is so safe then why these measures?
Answers please-I’m intrigued.

johnire wrote: »

A question folks........
if as so many people say here that travel doesn’t contribute to the spread of Covid then why are governments either restricting travel from certain countries or insist on a negative Covid test from people entering their country?
If travel is so safe then why these measures?
Answers please-I’m intrigued.

I don't think anybody is trying to claim that travel doesn't contribute to spread because it obviously does. Not just international travel but all travel, all movement, hence our inter county travel ban here and now restricting us to 5km. Quite clearly ,as the slogans say the best policy to reduce spread is to "stay home." Also, different regions and countries are affected to differing degrees, hence the wariness of Govts to those from different jurisdictions. All Govts would have the common goal of not wanting their hospitals overwhelmed.

But while acknowledging all of the above, you have to factor in the fact that in the EU no one country really operates independently. And in the many years of the much celebrated freedom of movement there really are widespread connections between countries, blood connections, emotional, business, financial, property, study etc etc etc. Therefore stringent restrictions on travel have placed an enormous burden which is why many who post here and far more powerful vested interests call for a more balanced approach to travel.

agoodpunt

due to go back laz tomorrow todays pre flight test shows covid, no contacts lwas on a busy flight last sat evening think i got it there waiting for the rough stuff + 14 day iso ahhh

faceman

oldtimeyfella wrote: »

Birthday parties are for children.



You are just as married in a registry office with a handful of close family and friends as you are with the 100s of people, waste of money, show-off, princess party wedding.


Paying money to watch other grown adults chase a ball around a field is certainly something that happens.


Have kids or whatever but at least make sure you can afford them so you won't end up working into you 60s whilst some people have enough money to check out by 50 and actually live life because they didn't worry about trying to impress other fools by spending money.

“Maureen, my bunions are killing me and there’s nothing on the Telly!”

Sam Hain

agoodpunt wrote: »

due to go back laz tomorrow todays pre flight test shows covid, no contacts lwas on a busy flight last sat evening think i got it there waiting for the rough stuff + 14 day iso ahhh

That's a shame, look after yourself. Scary to think with all the testing and protocols, you still got it on a flight. High price to pay for needing a break in some banal destination.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Northernlily wrote: »

Enjoy, I got back last night from Lanzarote. Took all necessary precautions and will continue to do so by restricting movements. Myself and herself both live alone and have our own bubble so our risk level would be low.

Feeling reenergised after it and ready to hit the ground running for a busy 2021. The situation was better when I left, but be aware there will be the odd snide remark.

You know your own risk appetite and level so fcuk the begrudgers I say and go guilt free.

But it's not just yourself you're putting at risk.

KnicksInSix

We are supposed to be flying back tomorrow to DUB from VRN but we decided to take advantage of the decent winter weather (buckets of beautiful fresh snow) here and extend out another week to the 9th. By no means was this a regular visit home for my wife. Restrictions in Italy are strongly policed but to my eyes the compliance rate in the first instance is quite high. A lot of people in northern Italy are, simply put, traumatised from their experience with Covid 19. Sister in law, ICU nurse, has been vaccinated in the last few days along with her colleagues. The general mood here is quietly hopeful.

I am not looking forward to the journey back to Ireland. As much as I love my home the pandemic has pushed me to reassess and we'll move back to Italy before the summer hits. I'll be resigning from the job of nearly 12 years that I love but there are more opportunities elsewhere.

Good luck to all travelers and stay safe.

RobitTV

You know I'm thinking about moving abroad by next summer, thinking about somewhere in Spain and starting in a new job (hopefully) and just refreshing my life and starting all over again for 2021 and beyond.

When you have been isolated away from society for most of the year, you really begin to reassess your life and what you want to achieve moving forward. I'm at the age now where friends and family members are getting married, having children, and many of them have moved abroad in recent years. It's not been easy to see many of them moving abroad.

After the chaos of 2020, I feel like I need to make changes in my life that are permanent and not just some short term temporary fix.

I don't think there is much here in Ireland anymore for me personally, I should of really moved abroad a few years ago, but life sometimes gets in the way. Now though there is no stopping me, I'm not going to spend the rest of my days thinking about doing it.

GazzaL

I just booked flights for a week away in Continental Europe! I can't wait for it

Stevek101

Where have people been getting their pre departure tests done? Randox and Rocdoc up at the airport are getting shocking reviews on Google, many people missing their flights due to delayed test results.

KnicksInSix

Stevek101 wrote: »

Where have people been getting their pre departure tests done? Randox and Rocdoc up at the airport are getting shocking reviews on Google, many people missing their flights due to delayed test results.

We used V1 Medical because the antigen test was sufficient for entry to Italy. It was €99 and we had the result emailed to us in 15 minutes (on the 17th December at 10pm). Friends of ours missed their one and only flights to Italy on the 19th because of Randox delays. The tight turn around times and I assume now the huge workloads in all labs are an issue. They were tested after noon on the 18th, result wasn't returned until just before midday on the 19th but they had already missed their flight which was early AM.

Stevek101

I wonder what the craic is with the bad reviews. Hard to know if people left getting tested too late. I'd like to use V1 for the instant result but we've gone red again on ECDC so I reckon they'll no longer be taken.

Did yous use drive thru or walk in at these centres?

normanoffside

Talguetler wrote: »

Friends of ours missed their one and only flights to Italy on the 19th because of Randox delays. The tight turn around times and I assume now the huge workloads in all labs are an issue. They were tested after noon on the 18th, result wasn't returned until just before midday on the 19th but they had already missed their flight which was early AM.

That's a bit rich leaving a bad review. Tests were back from what you say within 24hrs.
They should have booked for the day before or as you did, got an Antigen test which has immediate results.

normanoffside

Mr.S wrote: »

Sorry but that's their fault. Randox clearly say you will get the result by 5PM the following day. Italy needs a negative result 72 hours before boarding, so really no need to leave it that late.

I would say the vast majority are leaving it to the last minute. Randox test something like 1-2k people a day per site (apparently) so there are obviously going to be some errors.

Book a morning slot and you should have results by the next morning - every result I've had comes through before 9am.

I had an evening slot in Randox and got the result back just before midday the next day.
Perhaps as you say the results are put out twice a day with the morning slots coming out first. I still think it's a bit rich to complain about results of a PCR test coming out within 24 hours.

TomSweeney

Irish Aris wrote: »

I'm flying back to Ireland on Saturday after 3 weeks in Greece.
My flight is through Amsterdam and although I'm only transiting for 90 minutes (so pretty much out of one plane, passport control and into the. next) I have to do a PCR test 72 hours before my arrival to Amsterdam. I had to double check, but the airline (in this case KLM) clearly mentions that this applies to transfer passenger too and staff are instructed to deny boarding.
Just sharing this so people are aware that restrictions seem to be getting tougher and the airlines won't always notify you early enough so the onus is on the passenger to do so.

The good thing is that (if I read the gov.ie document correctly) having this negative PCR test means that I can bypass the guideline of 14 days restricted movements - unless of course this changes today with the new government announcement.

How much did you pay for the PCR tests roughly ?

seems to depend on the airline, I have colleagues that flew on Vueling and could get them for €40

KnicksInSix

To clarify, my friends to my knowledge did not leave a bad review and indeed they chalked it up to poor decision making in their own behalf. I don't believe I said anything to the contrary.

RobitTV

Anybody back from Lanzarote lately? or is there anyone heading out soon?

I've managed to extend my trip to 10 days, found a better deal online and it was cheaper. Very much looking forward to it now.

Just wondering is there much open at the moment and is there many tourists around Puerto del Carmen?

Mars Bar

I used Randox twice. Couldn't fault them apart from not having the smaller swabs for tiny heads like mine :pac:. If you don't have your result on time then you messed up, IMO.

99 euro is outrageous though. 20 euro here and I'm due my 10th test since very late October on Wednesday.

mada999

Northernlily wrote: »

Enjoy, I got back last night from Lanzarote. Took all necessary precautions and will continue to do so by restricting movements. Myself and herself both live alone and have our own bubble so our risk level would be low.

Feeling reenergised after it and ready to hit the ground running for a busy 2021. The situation was better when I left, but be aware there will be the odd snide remark.

You know your own risk appetite and level so fcuk the begrudgers I say and go guilt free.

was over myself for Christmas. It felt very safe.... wore mask everywhere except when seated in restaurant etc. Sun was great, food was great, drink was great, entertainment was great. Quieter than last year but most most bars and restaurants were open I should have stayed on for longer as nothing doing here.

I was back 5 days and got the covid test again, negative again...

RobitTV

RobitTV wrote: »

Anybody back from Lanzarote lately? or is there anyone heading out soon?

I've managed to extend my trip to 10 days, found a better deal online and it was cheaper. Very much looking forward to it now.

Just wondering is there much open at the moment and is there many tourists around Puerto del Carmen?

Back last Monday from PDC. Everything open and just a nice crowd about. Not a huge amount of tourists.

Enjoyed it so much I think I will go back there next Christmas aswell!

mada999

Stevek101 wrote: »

Where have people been getting their pre departure tests done? Randox and Rocdoc up at the airport are getting shocking reviews on Google, many people missing their flights due to delayed test results.

I've done Randox twice...

1st test before i went on holiday. Test time 10:55 - received result next day at 01:30 - not even 24 hours

2nd test (5 days after arriving home) - Test time - 10:25 - received result next day at 07:02 - not even 24 hours

found them very good...

Credit Checker Moose

I am going to Randox tomorrow. I report back on my experience.

RobitTV

Northernlily wrote: »

Back last Monday from PDC. Everything open and just a nice crowd about. Not a huge amount of tourists.

Enjoyed it so much I think I will go back there next Christmas aswell!

Good to hear thanks for that information. I'm going over on the 16th of January for 10 days, I feel way more safer over in Lanzarote.

I will get a test on the way home too just to keep my family members safe.

ShineOn7

Mars Bar wrote: »

99 euro is outrageous though. 20 euro here and I'm due my 10th test since very late October on Wednesday.

Where's "here"?

ShineOn7

Anywhere in Dublin city centre matching Randox's prices?


Travel Health Clinic are charging 149 euros

Mars Bar

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Where's "here"?

Sorry, UAE. 85dh for a test.

the explorer

Northernlily wrote: »

Back last Monday from PDC. Everything open and just a nice crowd about. Not a huge amount of tourists.

Enjoyed it so much I think I will go back there next Christmas aswell!

What sort of a crowd is there in PDC? Would it be mostly couples or small groups? I’m thinking of going for 2 or 3 weeks alone to work remotely and would probably prefer if it was quiet.

faceman

Regarding Randox etc, pressure on their services is going to increase as Ireland is now on the red list for travel on the EU portal